I finished the JFK 50 miler in 7 hours and 57 minutes, 76th out of approximately 1300 starters. Aside from the first 16 miles over the Appalachian Trail, this is a relatively easy run following the Potomac River along a former tow path for almost one half of the race. But its relative ease allows runners to push it faster without the usual and much useful walking breaks to hike steep hills. This, in turn, results in injuries and a whole set of other problems.

The last 1/2 of this race was not easy for me. Unbeknownst to me, I was overhydrated and low in sodium. I was very hot during a cold day, and this should have served as a clue that I was not sweating enough due to low sodium. But because the day was so cold, I never gave much consideration to my total sodium intake. In any event, I learned something new, though I suffered unnecessarily for 4 hours.

I ran this race in 2005 and gave a colorful description of that race then. It's funny how four years of trail running experience turns a difficult course into a mild one.

It's now 5 days after this year's race, and I haven't run much since. I've decided to take my break now and allow my body to recover fully for a month before I commence my heavy training for Western States. I had a 50 miler and a 100k scheduled for December; I'll probably pass on both.

Two personal bests: 8 hours 48 minutes (37 out of 234 starters) at the Dick Collins Firetrails 50 Mile Race in Castro Valley, California on October 10, 2009 (my friend Eric Vaughan says that my faster finish at the much easier JFK 50 Miler doesn't count as a personal best for a 50 mile trail run) and 3 hours 19 minutes (3,078 out of 44,000 starters) at the NY City Marathon on November 1st.

Also ran the crazy Mountain Madness 50K race in Ringwood, NJ the week after Firetrails 50M and ran the challenging and extremely well organized Mount Masochist 50++M race in Lynchburg, VA 6 days after the NYC Marathon.

Suffered the most at Mount Masochist, as I had two injuries from the NYC marathon and a cold; pushed through nonetheless and finished in 11 hours +.

Frankly, I'm fairly amazed that I can run strong, back-to-back ultras on consecutive weekends at this stage of my training. I hope I can stay healthy so I can dial it up a notch in the coming months.

Read This First

Western States 2010 was only my second 100 mile race. My first 100 miler was also Western States in 2007, and I completed that one in 27 hours. If I can do WS in sub-24, so can you. I am a runner with average running talent but with above average discipline, preparation, focus, and determination. I hope the information in this blog helps you accomplish your Western States race goal. I'll be at the Rucky Chucky (Near Side) Aid Station helping you get to Auburn. Say Hello.

Training Races Completed

5/29 & 31/10 Western States Memorial Weekend Runs ( First Day: Started at N44 - due to snow - ran to Dustry Corners, on to Foresthill and continued to Rucky Chucky: total 45 miles; Second Day: Off; Third Day: 2 miles North of Greengate to Finish - 22 miles)